"Judging from your expressions, you've already heard what she did from your son. It's a fair trade, isn't it? I'm giving you guys a way out of this before doing it my way. Think about it." While the couple stood there like melted wax on a burning candle, Bryan finished his cup of tea.
Perspiration showered droplets on Ken's forehead as minutes ticked by. With two fingers, Fanny continuously tugged on Ken's sleeve after hearing Bryan's request. She shook her head and obviously refused. Her movements were large enough for the whole restaurant to see, yet she didn't seem to have noticed it.
Annoyed, Alfred took out his phone and found an excuse for Bryan to leave. "Bryan, we still have a meeting later. Since we're done eating, we should get going." Hearing his words, Bryan stood up from his seat and put away Selina's phone. Pacing some steps forward, he stopped to stare at the couple with an unfriendly look.
"T..That.." Ken appeared dubious when he replied with uncertainty.
"You don't have to answer me now. I'll give you a month to consider it. Within this month, I'll be fair and promise you that nobody will make any dirty moves behind your back. Come see me again in a month."
"What will you do to Shirley if we hand her over to you?" Fanny impulsively reached out and held onto Bryan's arm, stopping him from leaving.
"That's none of your concern. Mrs. Sin should concentrate on your own matters first." He glared at the hand holding onto his arm. With disgust in his eyes, he wanted to yank her dirty hands off his jacket. This was a gift from Selina! If it was any other jacket, he would have stripped and burned it already.
"Bryan! Shirley is the same age as Selina. Even if you do anything to her, Selina won't come back! Doing harm to others like this won't bring her back to this world! It's meaningless." Fanny stood in his way with hands tightly clenching onto his arms.
Alfred's eyes widened after hearing her words. He had suspicions during the meal about something happening to Selina, but he never thought it would be this serious! His eyes narrowed at the couple with boiling flames. Twisting Fanny's wrist away from Bryan's arm, the veins on his arms surfaced violently.
"What did you just say about Selina?! What the hell do you mean by she won't come back? What happened? No, what the hell did you guys do to her?" Putting Bryan aside, Alfred was second in line when it comes to doting on her. He was away on a task and only left for a little while. The task was supposed to last until next month, but he completed it early to come back and celebrate her birthday!
"Ah! Hubby, it hurts! He's breaking my arm!" Fanny shrieked in agony as the grip tighten around her wrist.
"Bryan, control him! Let her go!" Ken raised his voice as a threat.
Turning his head sideways to meet Bryan's darkened eyes, Alfred shoved Fanny to Ken's embrace. The couple tumbled backwards onto the table, staining their clothes in vinegar and chili oil. "No wonder you were acting the way you did when I mentioned Selina. Now I know..Now I know why the Sin family lost your protection. Who did it? Was it Peter Sin? Or was it Shirley Han?"
As if his body was soaked in a pot of boiling water, his blood was hot and rapidly sizzling through his bloodstream. His limbs itched for action. Taking Ken's collar in his hands, he lifted him up in the air; choking him. Fanny tried loosening his fingers, but failed.
"Stop, Alfred. Come back." Glaring resentfully at the man in his hands, Alfred knocked him to the floor and walked back to Bryan.
"Whether this is meaningful or not, Mrs. Sin has no right to intervene. You should be glad I left your son in one piece without being crippled." His unsympathetic voice sent goosebumps all over her body. He meant every word he had said.
Before taking their leave, Bryan advised the couple. "By the way, our families have cut up all ties. All we have now are business relations. Mister and Mrs. Sin should watch your mouths and address me by my surname and not first. I'm speaking to you as the ruler of the underworld and above. I run both the legal and illegal businesses. You should know where you stand."
Fanny fell to despair as she stumbled to the floor after Bryan and Alfred left. She grabbed onto Ken's suit jacket and pulled a few times. "H..Hubby...what should we do? He must have known the Han family was our backup plan when everything falls apart. He wants to kill our survival route. But..But why a month's time to make this decision?"
Ken squatted down while combing his disheveled hair. "A month from today is Selina's birthday. By then, we need to give him our decision..."
- Bryan's car -
Alfred supported his head with his palms in disbelief. Even after Bryan filled him in on the information, he still couldn't believe that she was really gone. "It's impossible. She..I met with Selina before the task and she was telling me to come back in time for her birthday. She wanted a big gift, and I promised her. How could this happen?"
Bryan closed his eyes and leaned back on the driver's seat. "I'm going to make them all pay. For now, there are no updates about Selina. Maybe no news is good news for us, but chances are slim. Selina doesn't know how to swim, and she was injured when she jumped. I've promised to do so many things with her when I come back, but these bastards took away my chances."
The thought of how Selina must have felt during her last moments was so terrible that Alfred repressed it. Reaching out to Bryan's shoulder, he gave him a few supportive kneads. "Tell me if you need anything. Just say one word, and I will make a move. No, all our buddies will make the move."
"Thanks." Bryan appreciated his loyalty.
"Family. No need to say thanks. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be sitting here right now. My life belongs to her. I've said it before. Her enemies are my enemies. Same goes for you." Alfred's gaze deepened as he relived the incident from five years ago...